CWU LONDON DIVISIONAL STRIKE / HARDSHIP FUND

[Geezer]

To: All London Regional Trade Unions
No: R23/09_____________________________


Dear Colleague,


ROYAL MAIL DISPUTE – CWU LONDON DIVISIONAL STRIKE / HARDSHIP FUND

As you will be aware the 12,500 members in the CWU London Division have taken at least 11 days of strike action (some offices much more because of local disputes) with another to come next week. We are more then willing to continue the strikes until Royal Mail agree to negotiate meaningfully with our Union and reach an agreement acceptable to our members.

Our members in London are facing workplace bullying and harassment from management on a daily basis. Intimidated to work past their hours to deal with imposed duties. Filmed while working or on picket lines. Moved from their duties in the name of absorption. Taken off pay and charged with wilful delay for being unable to complete their walks. Supervised in some offices on a man to man basis by managers. Local agreements on earnings being ripped up and pressure overtime banned.

We are suffering now:-

• Members being taken off pay
• Imposed revisions and job allocation
• Allocating jobs by picking names out of a hat
• Compulsory movement from one office to another
• Colleagues losing up to £6000 a year in earnings
• Forced to work on shifts they wouldn’t normally choose
• Moved from 4 day weeks to 5 day weeks
• Full time jobs converted to part time
• De-recognition of our Union at all levels




Many of our members are now facing serious financial hardship. As their Regional Secretary I am setting up a hardship fund, and appealing to other Unions in the London area for donations to this hardship fund to support our members who have responded magnificently to the call from the Union to defend their terms and conditions and the Union in the workplace and around the national negotiating table.

Please make cheques payable to CWU London Divisional Committee and send to me at the above address.

Yours fraternally,


John Denton
London Regional Secretary

[Harry_Perkins]

What is the address?

[POSTMAN]

Second floor
33-41 Dallington Street
EC1V 0BB

020 7336 8371
fax: 020 7336 8370

http://www.cwulondon.org.uk/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[woofwoof]

Second floor
33-41 Dallington Street
EC1V 0BB

020 7336 8371
fax: 020 7336 8370

http://www.cwulondon.org.uk/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

you should send this to the mail centres taking the diverted mail in and doing it on overtime

[opgpat]

Sorry John - I would only send a cheque made out to 'Hardship 2009 CWU fund' or similar but not 'CWU London'. Money cashed to your 'CWU London' bank account could legally be spent on your office equipment, lunches or travel expenses whereas money cashed into a named 'Hardship fund' would have to go to strikers. There needs to be checks and accountability with financial matters and there would be noway of looking at your end of year CWU accounts and telling which monies came in for strikers and where it went without having a seperate named bank account.

[wranglered]

Sorry John - I would only send a cheque made out to 'Hardship 2009 CWU fund' or similar but not 'CWU London'. Money cashed to your 'CWU London' bank account could legally be spent on your office equipment, lunches or travel expenses whereas money cashed into a named 'Hardship fund' would have to go to strikers. There needs to be checks and accountability with financial matters and there would be noway of looking at your end of year CWU accounts and telling which monies came in for strikers and where it went without having a seperate named bank account.

...very fair point.....

[POSTMAN]

Well you would of course put a note in with the cheque regarding what it is for,and no doubt the LDC would keep an account of it.
I could ask John about this if people are worried.

[PrestwickPostie]

Well you would of course put a note in with the cheque regarding what it is for,and no doubt the LDC would keep an account of it.
I could ask John about this if people are worried.

would they not be better off setting up a paypal account so that we can pay electronically thus they can maximise their fund, as not everyone deals in cheques

[opgpat]

mmm yes far easier for most, cheaper (free actually) and much much quicker.
WHO WANTS TO USE SNAIL MAIL ANYWAY!!!!!!!


(don't mention falling mail volumes and profits)

[richie]

Is it to much of an ask,for everyday we are on strike CWU HQ staff (postal) donate a days pay to the hardship fund?

[Martin Walsh]

The London Hardship fund has been set up to assist indivuduals who are struggling to pay CSA charges and can now not see their kids as a result , or now face losing their houses or rent. London is now into the 3rd week of strike action so most indivuduals have lost over two weeks money and we have 2 more stikes before the end of the month.

The Hardship fund is really an appeal to other CWU Branch"s and other trade unions ,a seperate account has now been set up with strict guidelines and all donations have to have supporting evidence and be backed by the Branch.

Of course other offices around the UK have taken strike action but no ones yet taken that amount of strike action ( stoke took 10 days ) and whilst some members can budget for this others cannot. It is those who we are look to help.

Some of CWU HQs staff have donated into the fund already but I agree that all Postal Headquaters staff should donate into a fund.

[PrestwickPostie]

mmm yes far easier for most, cheaper (free actually) and much much quicker.
WHO WANTS TO USE SNAIL MAIL ANYWAY!!!!!!!


(don't mention falling mail volumes and profits)

that wasn't my point mate, some of us no longer have cheque books

[opgpat]

Yeah I know many people don't these days. Was just highlighting the slightly ironic aspect to the idea of an electronic setup what with all the RM lies about people switching to other means. More than made up for by the increase in magazines and packets off internet. Anyway take it easy buddy, used to live in Hamilton, now down south, you got it hard in all that rain.

[andy2007]

What about using Postal Orders, if you don't have a Chequebook?

[drevil1969uk]

As someone in the london region how do you get your hands on any of that cash? Akso why isnt there a hardship fund anyway from our subscriptions?